


Jokes

by Kuroyukihime



Series: Elippoweek2020 [1]
Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Future Fic, M/M, Misunderstandings, elippoweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25713817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuroyukihime/pseuds/Kuroyukihime
Summary: Filippo never really thought about being a teacher. But he became one.Nobody really thought about Elia being a teacher. But he became one.Ah, and they have this big misunderstanding going on.So, teachers AU aka my contribution to Elippo Week 2020 Day 2 "Past or Future."
Relationships: Elia Santini/Filippo Sava
Series: Elippoweek2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1865014
Kudos: 11





	Jokes

**Author's Note:**

> I really can’t believe I was able to finish it on time! But I did! No beta, of course. And actually, it’s most of a blurp than an actual fic, I’d say. I just had this idea that I wanted to finalize it, but I didn’t have much time to do so. I think it’d work better as a 10k fic with everything described in detail, but... well. You have an idea, and I had fun writing it, so please enjoy!
> 
> PS: Forgive me the rushed ending, I literally finished writing it a few minutes ago. Also, forgive me for all the mistakes. It was beted in a rush too.

Filippo never really thought about being a teacher. He wasn’t a model student in his school days and definitely didn’t choose his studies to become a teacher. But somehow, he became one. A few years passed since he started teaching art in one of the middle schools in Roma, but he still wasn’t fully used to it. And not only him. His friends and family never got tired of making fun of him, a light-minded scatterbrain, taking on such a responsible position. Eleonora still couldn’t believe that they really let him take care of a group of children even though he was still a child himself. Filippo tried his best not to comment on that.

But what was an even bigger surprise for everyone around was Elia Santini becoming a teacher. When he decided upon this career after high school, most people laughed at him. Especially his best friends who knew him all too well to know that he plus teaching sound like a bad idea. But surprisingly for everyone, he actually made it and became a middle school PE teacher. Although his friends still joked that Boccia wouldn’t be happy knowing that his top PE skipper ended up teaching PE, Elia proved to be an excellent teacher. The kids loved him, and he seemed to be really into what he was doing.

And by some strange coincidence, Filippo and Elia ended up teaching in the same school. Which should be great, after all, they used to be roommates for quite a time, they should be goods friends, and it should be lovely to work together.

Only that it wasn’t.

For some reason that remained unknown for Filippo, Elia didn’t really like him. To the point of avoiding and ignoring him every day at work. This was a few years long dislike that Filippo couldn’t understand. Especially since their roommates' days were wonderful. Just one day Elia suddenly became cold and distant and then moved out without giving Filippo any particular reason. Which bothered him every day because usually he didn’t mind people disliking him, but there was something in Elia that—

“Mr. Sava?”

Filippo snapped out of his thoughts, quickly looking away from the soccer team practice. Unfortunately, the art classroom had its windows facing the school’s soccer field. This meant that each week he had a chance to observe Elia Santini half screaming half laughing at the bunch of middle schoolers. And sometimes playing with them. These times Filippo liked the most. There was something alluring in Elia playing soccer with a group of students, taller than everyone else around him but surprisingly fitting between them. Filippo supposed that although he was almost thirty, he still had something of a teenager in him.

“Yes, what is it?” He sighed, moving away from the window. He wasn’t even interested in soccer in the first place. What was the point of staring at the school’s team practice every week then?

—

“On Tuesday I nicely asked him whether he’d like a coffee as I was making one for myself anyway and he said ‘no need’...”

“Uh-huh.”

“...but then I saw him making himself a coffee just a minute later!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why he declined my offer then? Does he hate me so much that he couldn’t even accept my kind coffee offer?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Martino, are you even listening to me?”

“Uh-huh.”

Filippo sighed with irritation, taking a generous sip of his drink. He and Martino were meeting up almost weekly, mostly to let Filippo rant about how much Elia’s coldness bothered him. The thing was, Martino seemed to be less and less invested in his stories. Which made Filippo annoyed because not only he wouldn’t help him with getting the information from Elia, but he didn’t even want to listen to his hardships.

“It’d be easier if you just told me why he’s like that.”

“I already told you that I have no idea,” sighed Martino, not even trying to hold back an eye roll.

“And I’m supposed to believe it? You’re friends for years, of course he’d told you!”

“Well, surprise surprise, he didn’t. I tried to ask him, but he’s always saying that he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. He’s acting like nothing ever happened. So I don’t know… Maybe you really imagine things, Filo?”

This time it was Filippo who rolled his eyes. He knew he didn’t imagine things. Especially since he vividly remembered how different Elia was when they were living together. They used to spend a lot of time together back then. And it wasn’t only because they lived together. They’d hang out in each other’s rooms all the time, watching movies and stupid reality shows together, damn, even doing some chores together just to spend some time together. And then suddenly, Elia became cold and distant, and that’s how it was since then. It wasn’t just Filippo’s imagination. It was something more, and Filippo made a matter of honor to know why.

—

“Hey, what did I say about playing fair?!”

“Oh, come on!”

“Don’t ‘come on’ me! Go, do your penalty pushups.”

“Don’t be like that, Santini…”

“Add 10 for not respecting your teacher.”

“No way!”

“And the other 10 for pointless discussions. You want to keep bidding, Mancini?”

Filippo smiled against himself, looking at this scene. Elia might have tried to be all sharp and demanding, but at the end of the day, most of his students liked him. Probably because behind this hard-guy façade there was a laid-back guy willing to talk and hang out with his students after school, taking them to see a match or something (not that Filippo was interested in it). Not that Filippo had a bad reputation among the students. Well, maybe among the homophobic ones. But the kids generally liked him, at least those from the art club. Unless they were excellent actors and only pretended.

“Ugh, I wouldn’t want to be your student. You make me remember why I was skipping PE in my school days,” Filippo started, approaching Elia with a smile. The younger man stiffed, looking at him with a mixture of shock and annoyance on his face.

“What are you doing here? I’m in the middle of the lesson!” He hissed. Filippo only shrugged. It’s not that he didn’t know it. It was hard not to notice a group of screaming, running kids.

“Yeah, well, you’re avoiding me at the hallways, you’re avoiding me in the staff room, the same with school events and the schoolyard… I figured it’s time for the desperate measures.”

Elia said nothing, only clenched his jaw and looked back at his students, trying to pretend he doesn’t see nor hear Filippo. Typical ignorance strategy Filippo knew all too well. Not that he was planning on giving up. He already thought it through. During the lesson, Elia couldn’t escape from him. And if somebody asked, Filippo could say he came to ask Elia if he could use the hall for the upcoming art club exhibition. Doesn’t matter that Elia wasn’t a decisive person.

“Don’t you think it’s getting a little bit ridiculous? You’re doing it for years now, and you wouldn’t even tell me why.”

“I can’t see you doing your pushups, Mancini!”

“Come on. It’s not that hard. Just talk to me.”

“I’m in the middle of the lesson, Filippo.”

“Tell me and I’m gone then.”

Elia glanced at him as if he was considering it as an option. Filippo wondered whether he was genuinely annoyed beyond the point or maybe impressed his stubbornness. Or perhaps neither of this. It was really hard to figure out Elia sometimes. Or at least for Filippo.

“You should know it yourself. After all, you used to laugh at it all the time with your friends, thinking I don’t hear you. But well, I did.” Elia wrinkled his nose, his eyes focused on the kids playing… whatever, it’s not that Filippo paid any attention.

“I don’t understand,” he confessed because he genuinely didn’t. He had no idea which jokes Elia meant. There were so many, he was joking around with his friends all the time. He had no idea which ones could possibly affect Elia so much. They were generally some kinky stuff. Did Elia had a problem with kinky? He could just say so instead of moving out and becoming cold and distant.

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember. All those jokes about seducing me for fun...”

Filippo tired to remember those times when he was living with Elia and jokes he was making with his friends. They, in fact, did joke like that. Nothing special, just light jokes. About how Filippo should seduce his straight roommate just like in pornos just for sex. How fun it’d be and stuff. Filippo usually tired to silence them so they wouldn’t make Elia uncomfortable. Looked like he failed.

“These were only jokes and—"

“Yeah, only jokes, but you knew that I—"

“And I had no idea they’d disgust you! I mean, I know you’re straight, so did my friends, which is why we joked like that. About seducing my straight roommate and stuff. I mean, I don’t know, maybe they were more serious than I was, but for me, these were only jokes. I thought you’re chill enough to understand that. If you told me these kinds of gay jokes annoy you, I’d stop making them.”

Elia looked at him, confinement clear in his eyes. As if it wasn’t the answer he was expecting. For a second, it crossed Filippo’s mind that maybe didn’t understand it. Maybe Elia was aiming at something else. The question was… at what?

“Wait, so you didn’t know that I…?”

“Did know that you what?”

Elia looked away, suddenly looking shy.

“Nothing. Nothing, really. It’s... it’s all in the past anyway,” he decided with an awkward shrug. It didn’t really seem convincing, but Filippo decided not to press further. He felt that the conversation was going in a good direction, and he didn’t want to ruin it. All he wanted was to clear the misunderstanding and close the case. He could interrogate Elia some other time.

“Okay, so… I’m sorry for the jokes. I didn’t know they make you feel bad,” he tried. Elia started shaking his head before Filippo even finished talking.

“No, I’m sorry too. I should talk to you instead of… you know.”

Filippo nodded. For a while, they were standing in silence, neither of them knowing what to say and do. Finally, Filippo decided that he took enough time from Elia’s lesson. He was probably close to eventually getting into trouble.

“Okay, so… see you around?” He asked. Elia smiled, which made Filippo smile too. It wasn’t perfect, still very very awkward, but Filippo believed that was the start of a completely new era of his history with Elia Santini.


End file.
